FREDERICTON, Sept. 16, 2013 /CNW/ - The University of Fredericton
(UFred), an accredited and fully-online Canadian university, has
announced the successful completion of its first full year using Cisco
WebEx® technology to deliver all its live, online courses to students.

As Canada's first university to deliver course content and lectures
exclusively through WebEx®, the University held over 1000 live,
faculty-led classes in the 2012-2013 academic year. In addition, all
of the classes were recorded and made available to students and faculty
for future use.

Using Cisco WebEx®, UFred's online students and faculty can not only
interact as if they were in the same room, but also take advantage of
innovative tools to share video and further assets, going beyond what
is possible in the classic brick-and-mortar classroom.

"As a school that is completely online, our challenge was how to connect
professors to students all over Canada, and the world. We wanted a
solution that would provide students and professors with a live online
classroom for lectures and discussions, where they could also share
video, presentations and applications, and collaborate on documents in
real-time using audio or text - or even enable breakout rooms for group
sessions. With Cisco WebEx®, we get all of that and more," explains
Peter Mersereau, UFred's Manager of Operations.

"Online courses have significantly broadened the scope of education.
With reliable tools such as Cisco WebEx® it's never been easier to
reach out to students, regardless of location, and ensure they have
access to a rich and diverse number of resources to forge a successful
career path," says Blake Escudier, Ph.D., professor with the Sandermoen
School of Business at UFred.

"UFred realizes the world has changed and it's simply not feasible for
some students to fit the traditional educational model of in-person day
classes into their lives. By embracing online classes and using the
most advanced technology tools to deliver them, they've made it
possible for me to pursue my goals on a schedule that is right for me,"
adds Anthony Yu, UFred MBA Alumnus and TD Bank Branch Manager.

UFred intends to continue to collaborate with Cisco to help advance the
frontier of online learning technology, and to use their technology in
a way most schools can now only dream of. "Online learning technology
is still in its infancy. Cisco aims to be a leader in the evolution of
all elements of the virtual campus, and we want to work with them
step-for-step as WebEx® and video technologies continue to evolve,"
explains Mersereau.

Rod Murphy, Cisco Canada's Regional Vice President, Atlantic, agrees:
"We're impressed by the desire of the team at the University of
Fredericton to work with us and remain at the forefront of online
learning. The work being done at UFred is a perfect example of the
Internet of Everything at work, using means afforded by our connected
world to provide unprecedented and enriching opportunities. In this
case, it's the ability for students to learn valuable skills without
the constraints of distance or specific location."

If you are interested in learning more about how UFred is leveraging
Cisco technology, please read Cisco's Case Study and Blog Series (Part One and Two about UFred, or contact UFred media at Media@UFred.ca.

About the University of Fredericton
UFred is a fully online Canadian University, headquartered in
Fredericton, New Brunswick, and designated as a degree-granting
university by the Province of New Brunswick. UFred offers online
Degree, Diploma and Certificate programs geared at working
professionals who desire to advance their career and upgrade their
education with minimal disruption to their work and personal life.